In Conversation with Emily Yeston
Tell us about your background:
I’ve been some level of obsessed with fashion since I was 5 years old. It started by telling my contractor dad that my dream was to build a mall, to touting Anna Wintour as my personal hero as a middle schooler. I decided when I was 12 that I wanted to be a fashion writer, and that working at a Condé Nast magazine was my goal.
Fast forward a few years…after a degree in Journalism from George Washington University alongside internships at places like Oscar de la Renta and WWD, I landed that job at Condé Nast. I worked at Lucky Magazine on the first few iterations of their Fashion and Beauty Bloggers Conference and quickly realized that Condé was not the place for me. I secured a job as an Editorial Assistant with Garance Doré that I accepted over an offer to be the Editor-In-Chief’s assistant. Today, I’m a partner and COO in a digital media platform that Garance and I built together. And Lucky Magazine no longer exists.
When I left Condé Nast to go work for a blogger, everyone I knew thought I was crazy. Blogs were a new phenomenon, they hadn’t totally figured out the monetization piece, and no one knew if they’d be around in a few years. As an early reader of Garance’s site, I knew that there was something magical in this platform. That a personal point of view, unbridled creativity and a true digital community of readers and commenters was special, and would probably outlast a lot of the magazines I had grown up with.
It’s been nine years since Garance and I began working together, and in those nine years I’ve been fortunate to learn constantly, to fall in and out of love with fashion (and survive the heartbreak) and to have come to understand what it means to have style—not only in how I dress, but more importantly in how I live.
What do you wish you’d known when you started out?
That the pressure I had felt to have a “perfect” career was totally self-inflicted, and not necessary. Once I learned to let go of my ego and a false narrative of success I had conditioned myself into believing is when I learned how to be truly happy in my work and in my life. This started to come to me on a retreat we held in Chile and fully hit home when I did a silent meditation retreat in California, after only ever meditating for 30 minutes at a time.
Best career advice you've ever received?
Never stop learning. Oh, and always hire people who are smarter than you. I’m still working on that one, but it’s something I constantly come back to.
What leadership qualities are important to you?
Clear communication and strong decision making skills. There’s nothing I hate more than indecision! (This is probably the only thing Anna Wintour and I have in common). And a lack of ego is a big one for me.
What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?
Constantly evolving a business in an industry that’s undergoing tectonic change, exacerbated by Covid-19.
And for fun, what is your favorite wardrobe staple?
Lately, I can’t live without my Entireworld sweats! But in non-Covid times, it’s a good pair of not-too-tight jeans, a perfect white t-shirt and a blazer. Totême makes my favorites!
